Formula One: Race to Championship, who will win; Hamilton, Button, Alonso, Webber or Vettel
Half way into the Formula One season, 2010 has seen three constructors and five drivers leading the championship so far. In 2009, Jenson Button almost wrapped up the title in the first third of the season, the best from Red Bull and McLaren during the later part of the last season was not enough to trouble the debutant Brawn Mercedes. This time around it’s a completely different ball game with Mercedes GP lacking the pace and McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari running the show.
Red Bull Racing carried the momentum from close of 2009 into this year, when Vettel clinched the pole position in Bahrain. The race however turned out to be a disaster for the team that only managed 16 points from their first race. Ferrari drew first blood in style with both Alonso and Massa taking two steps of the podium to give Ferrari a one-two finish and a dream start. In Australia, Red Bull once again showed their strength in qualifying when Vettel claimed the pole. Again, it wasn’t meant to be Red Bull’s moment when a wheel malfunction on Vettel’s car handed McLaren and Jensen Button their first victory. Both Ferrari drivers finished the race closely behind Button and Kubica.
From Australia onwards, the season took a downturn for Ferrari, as they didn’t pose enough challenge to McLaren and Red Bull, neither in qualifying nor in the race. In the third race of the season in Malaysia, Vettel claimed the much awaited victory with an inch perfect drive with Mark Webber earning the second spot for a Red Bull one-two. Despite finishing without points in Sepang, Alonso continued to lead the drivers’ championship. Going into China for the fourth round, Button once again reigned supreme with his second win of the season. China produced the third one-two finish of the season as this time it was McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who finished his race in the second place. Victory in China put Jensen Button’s into championship lead to put the cherry on the cake.
The next race in Spain was the first time in 2010 season when a driver won the race from pole position. Mark Webber, after a few spells in the wilderness came strong in Spain to win the race with the local driver Alonso splitting the two Red Bulls. The sixth race of the season in Monaco had Red Bull written all over it, as the team took the top step in qualifying and produced their second one-two of the season. It was McLaren’s time to stand and stare as Webber won his second race and dislodged Button and McLaren from the top position on the leader board.
Webber claimed his third successive pole position in Turkey and Red Bull was on course for their third one-two finish. However, luck was cruel and as Vettel made a move to overtake Webber, the resulting collision handed McLaren their second one-two victory instead. Though Hamilton won the race, but Webber continued to lead the drivers’ championship. McLaren however pipped Red Bull in constructors’ championship by a single point.
McLaren carried the momentum in Canada when Hamilton won his first pole and this was also the first time in the season Red Bull lost that position. Qualifying and starting the race on hard tyres didn’t prove a good decision for Red Bull, which fell behind both McLarens and the Alonso’s Ferrari. Top two steps on the podium gave McLaren’s lead a boost and Lewis Hamilton emerged as the fifth leader of the championship. McLaren once again bettered their lead with strong finish in controversy hit European GP which was won by Vettel.
With nine races run and another ten to come, top three drivers are separated merely by 12 points with McLaren and Red Bull 30 points apart. Current season has been wide open and saw lead in both drivers’ and manufacturers’ championship swing from driver to driver and constructor to constructor.
We are back in a Formula One Season, where only the rich or the reckless would place their bet on a single driver. 2007 season was won and lost by a single point, 2008 had five seconds in it, what has 2010 in store for us?!!
Tags: